The Force Awakens in December and as the countdown to the release of Star Wars Episode VII continues we’re finding out more about the characters we’ll meet 32 years after the events of Return of The Jedi.

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Here’s what we know about them so far (far away)…

NEW FACES

Rey (Daisy Ridley)

Strong female leads seem to be all the rage this time around and Daisy Ridley’s Rey certainly looks set to be one of them. She’s a scavenger who lives in a spaceship graveyard (that’s where that crashed Star Destroyer is) on the desert planet of Jakku.

Rey is an independent woman who does everything for herself and lives a very solitary existence until she “meets another character” (John Boyega’s Finn). “That’s when her adventure begins”, Ridley told the crowd gathered at the Star Wars Celebration.

Speculation about Rey’s parentage has been rife since Ridley was cast, and she’s spent most of the past few months batting down rumours that the scavenger is, in fact, Han Solo’s daughter.

Finn (John Boyega)

If there’s one new Star Wars face staying totally tight-lipped about their character it’s John Boyega. Finn was the first human we met in the original teaser for The Force Awakens, but is he really a Stormtrooper? That’s the question on everyone’s lips.

What we have gathered is that he at least begins his Star Wars life in the uniform of a First Order (that’s the name for this new alternative to The Empire) trooper, but concept art on show at Star Wars Celebration pictured him with a lightsaber hanging from his jacket.

Could this guy really be a Jedi? We’ll have to wait and see.

Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac)

“The best frickin pilot in the galaxy”, Poe Dameron is the mysterious X-Wing pilot we were first introduced to in the original teaser trailer. All we know about him is that he’s been sent on a mission by a “certain princess” when he just so happens to cross paths with John Boyega’s Finn.

Isaac says their futures will be “forever intertwined”, so we’re guessing he’ll fall into something of a trio with Rey and Finn. Could they be the new Luke, Leia and Han Solo?

Well, if Poe’s as confident in his abilities as Isaac makes him out to be it’s possible…

BB-8

The internet fell in love with him when he rolled into our lives in the teaser trailer and now that we know he’s a real-life working droid, just like R2-D2 and C-3PO, BB-8’s popularity is set to soar.

The little droid’s origins are as yet unclear, though concept art does picture him in an X-Wing fighter. And there’s nothing surprising about that given the similarities to R2-D2.

Does he live with Rey? Or fly in with Finn?

Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie)

This mysterious Stormtrooper sparked quite a reaction when they first appeared on screen in the second teaser trailer.

The Chrome Trooper’s towering form led to widespread speculation that Gwendoline Christie would play a female villain, which was confirmed in a Vanity Fair spread, along with the trooper’s name: Captain Phasma.

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)

This hooded figure’s three blade lightsaber caused a mini meltdown when it was first revealed but we were left in the dark (side) about Star Wars’ new ‘big bad’ for quite some time.

Vanity Fair‘s famous cover shoot finally put our minds at ease, revealing Adam Driver to be the man in the Sith mask, and hinting that he’d be commanding a few First Order troopers from an icy base

Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis)

He’s called Supreme Leader Snoke (continuing The Force Awaken’s perfect hit rate when it comes to awesome sci-fi names) and that’s pretty much all we know thus far.

Well, his name and that he was the one who uttered the ominous voiceover in the first trailer: “There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? The dark side and the light.”

And with a title that adorable, we’re guessing he’s an Ewok general who turned to the Dark Side.

Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o)

Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o was heralded as one of the most exciting additions to a predominantly male cast when her name was announced but we won’t actually see her on screen because, like Serkis, it’s all mo-cap for her too.

Nyong’o plays pirate Maz Kanata, whose castle is packed with smugglers and ruffians from across the galaxy.

Could our new trio end up seeking solace with her? Or will we find Han and Chewie chilling in the castle?

General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson)

The Harry Potter star took to the stage at Comic Con to reveal that he’d definitely be playing a villain, and even shared his name with us: General Hux.

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All we know so far is that he’ll be running the show at Starkiller Base, one of the First Order’s most formidable strongholds. And, funnily enough, Starkiller was Luke Skywalker’s original surname.

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